anyone tried drilling holes in the top of their case

[GregHess]

I wouldn't drill a "hole" persay.

I'd purchase a 80mm or 92mm hole saw, and use a 80/92mm fan template to cut the hole, and drill mounting holes in the center of the case.

Then I'd install a low rpm 80/92 mm case fan, blowing up (out of the case).

THAT would help case temps.

A mere hole would just provide a location to drop things.

[fxgogo]

What I am trying to do is use less fans if possible. The noise drives me crazy. I have got two case fans on switches right now which is great when I am just messing around as opposed to rendering. I am also going to add poteniometers to those as well so I can dail down the speed. The holes I was thinking of were about 40 small drill holes, so things should not drop down there.

[Jhavna]

Holes will let the heat out, but you're relying on convection alone there, so the air in the case will always be warm. Even if you leave the side of the case off, you still get pockets of hot air inside. you need something to shift the air.

My advice (if you want peace and quiet), buy some low rpm fans. place one at the front of the case that sucks in, and one that blows out the top and if you can, one at the back.
Make sure your cabling is neat to allow for decent airflow too.... Some good, quiet fans are Vantec. An 80mm fan can shift 27CFM at only 21db... I have a Vantec exhaust under my graphics card, and it's quite big. I was worried it was going to add to the noise of the other fans, but it was almost noiseless!

The amount of air sucked in and blown out should be equal, so place like specced fans if possible. Of course, you can use a stronger one in problem areas. Essentially, the key is generate good airflow! And if noise is a big issue, why not water cool?

[s2a-adamk]

Yes. I hate the noise too.
Get a new case.

I have an HP kayak that I am on right now = slient.
Some generic rackmounts I have sound like a gdamn airplane engine, can't stand it.

You can also find some machines that have a fan that cycles on and off. Have an ibm that does this. Not too bad.

Low rpm? Is that really the key? I would easily pay $15 for peace and quiet.

a

[Jhavna]

well, if water cooling isn;t an option, low fan speeds do reduce the noise....

but make sure that the fan still pushes enough air through... Also, make sure that the fan in question is well constructed. good bearings make for a quiet fan too.. Noramlly you'll want a 120mm fan to provide you with adequate airflow.

Another way to reduce noise is to use rubber pins. I recently built an Antec case, and it's 120mm fan was mouted with rubber pins (or plugs) this will prevent the fan vibrations passing onto the case and thus provide quieter (and boy, was it quieter) running.

this case (http://www.antec-inc.com/pro_details_enclosure.php?ProdID=15138)

the mounts were something like this (http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/Fan_Mounting.html)

Also, rubber grommets on the harddrive screws will reduce hard drive vibration noise...

Some tips for silence there :)

EDIT: Better URL for fan mounts

[fxgogo]

I would love to water cool, and some day I will. But the budget does not allow at the moment. My big weekend project is to neaten up the cables and lower the rpms on my two current fans. I think they are Antec fans if I am not mistaken. With those two fans my chip runs at around 60 degrees, and with them on 50 degrees, so they do make a difference. I have been testing different resistors with them and around half the speed the noise drops quite a lot, so hopefully they still push enough air out to drop the cpu a bit. Thanks for the tips on the rubber mounts Jhavna.

[GregHess]

As recommended by Jhavna...

Noise would be better controlled by better heatsinks, and lower rpm fans. Drilling holes may allow for heat to escape by convenction, but it'll also ALLOW SOUND to escape.

Aka it could make your noise issues even more annoying.

If you concerned about noise, make sure to buy a very high quality case. If you are on a budget, make sure you go with a steel case. The steel absorbs sound and vibration "better" then a "cheap" alumnium case.

The better li-lian and coolermaster cases use thick enough alumnium to absorb sound as easily as a steel case, but the cheap ones do not.

[Jhavna]

thanks GregHess

Also, the url i posted before, www.kustompcs.com sells other noise reducing products aswell...

[Novakog]

Originally posted by GregHess
[B]The steel absorbs sound and vibration "better" then a "cheap" alumnium case./B]

Isn't it also that aluminum cases cool better though (aluminum is a better conductor than steel, isn't it)?

[Jhavna]

Originally posted by Novakog
Isn't it also that aluminum cases cool better though (aluminum is a better conductor than steel, isn't it)?

No.

http://www.procooling.com/articles/html/5_myths_about_cooling__-_phaes.php

I've read the above in a number of places...

[fxgogo]

I have a Antec case, which is steel, sho that should help. After monitoring my temperatures, when rendering I get a temp of 62 and 58 on my processor. At idle with my case fans off and 53 and 50 with them on. Not a huge change really, so with some cable management and slowing down of the fans I could potentially drop the temp difference by 50% and the noise will drop aswell. As it stands, I think the temps are reasonable.

[Novakog]

Originally posted by Jhavna
No.

http://www.procooling.com/articles/html/5_myths_about_cooling__-_phaes.php

I've read the above in a number of places...

Oh okay. I feel stupid now. :blush:

[BrainFaucet]

I personally wouldn't want holes in the top of my case out of fear that things will fall into it. The fact that it's not a very effective method of cooling is another matter.

I recommend looking at some of the quiet rig sites on the net...

http://www.endpcnoise.com/ check out what they use in their quiet PCs.

Some of these sites might be useful to:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=quiet+PC&btnG=Google+Search

Hope this helps.

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